If the definition of a troll is one whose posts are deliberately misleading (that's the definition I came up with when I googled troll) then many, like Maxine and her aliases, who are called trolls are in fact not trolls. To insult is not to mislead. Quite the contrary. It's intellectually lazy to call everyone who rubs you the wrong way a troll.

Ricpic, read the NYT Magazine article for a more sophisticated explanation of what makes a person a troll. My definition -- and I am setting the standards here -- has to do with someone whose malicious intent has been demonstrated over time. You may not see it in one particular thread, where participation may be excellent, but that is just the troll setting up to do damage later. There are a few people who've gone through cycles of damage here, and at this point, I don't care how good some of their contributions are. I don't want the distraction. It's a shame with Maxine, because she was once one of my 5 favorite commenters.

They find an area and degrade it. Whether it's by trolling (in the traditional 'net sense of seeking to start flamewars), stalking (thereby making people feel unsafe to comment), or mocking (so as to dampen earnest contributions).

This is harder than engaging in real conversation, or just being genuinely funny. If nothing else, you can simply make enough noise that it drives people away.